Tas. 8266. 
MAHONIA areouta. 
Central America ? 
BERBERIDEAE. Tribe BERBEREAE. 
Manonra, Nutt.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. i. p. 48 (sub Berberide) ; 
Fedde in Engi. Bot, Jahrb. vol. xxxi. 1901, p. 30; Schneider, Ill. Handb. 
Laubholzk. vol. i. p. 316. 5 
Mahonia arguta, Hutchinson in Gard. Chron. 1908, vol. xliii. p. 82; affinis 
M. paniculatae, Oerst., sed foliolis angustioribus integris vel dentibus 
ee 1-5 munitis, reticulatione utrinque prominente, petalis minoribus 
iffert. 
Frutex, ramis glabris. Folia 4-6-juga, quam inflorescentia breviora; rhachides 
suleatae 8-20 cm. longae; stipulae subulatae, 4-5 mm. longae; foliola 
lanceolata vel oblongo-lanceolata, subsessilia vel brevissime petiolulata, 
2°5-9 cm. longa, 0°5-2 cm. lata, coriacea, spinoso-terminata, integra vel 
1—5-spinoso-dentata, utrinque nitida, venis et venulis utrinque conspicuis. 
Paniculae ad apicem ramorum congestae, suberectae, laxae, 30-40 cm. 
longae, ramulis elongatis 3-4-floris rigidis compressis usque ad 4 cm. 
longis. SBracteae ramorum et pedicellorum ovato-lanceolatae, acutae, 
2-4 mm. longae. Sepala 3 externa parva, elliptica, 3 mm. longa, 3-nervia; 
3 intermedia et 3 interna oblongo-elliptica, 6 mm. longa, 3 mm. lata. 
Petala 6, oblonga, apice biloba, basi biglandulosa, 4 mm. longa, 3 mm. 
lata. Stamina 6; filamenta 2 mm. longa; antherae 1:5 mm. longae. 
Ovarium oblongum, 2 mm. longum. Bacca globosa, 6-8 mm. diametro, 
atro-coerulea.—J. HurcHinson. ? 
A study of the careful revision by Dr. Fedde of the group 
of species to which the name Mahonia is popularly applied 
leaves little room for doubt that, from the scientific stand- 
point also, this group is more satisfactorily considered 
generically distinct from Berberis proper. The distinctions, 
as pointed out by Fedde, are that in Berberis the leaves are 
simple while the inflorescence springs from the axil of a leaf- 
thorn, whereas in Mahonaa the leaves are compound and the 
inflorescence arises from the axil of a winter bud-scale. 
M. arguta, the species now dealt with, is most nearly allied 
to M. paniculata, but is readily distinguished by the narrower, 
entire or few-toothed leaflets which are more prominently 
veined on both surfaces, and by the smaller petals. 
JpLy, 1909. 
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